Congress taking another run at the NLRB

posted at 5:20 pm on July 21, 2011 by Jazz Shaw

Lest you think we’ve forgotten about the anti-industry maneuvers of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the midst of all this debt crisis talk, we haven’t. (Yeah, we’re talking to you, Craig Becker.) In another attempt to exert a bit of legislative oversight on executive branch rules which carry the force of law, Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC) has introduced legislation known as, “the Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act.”

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina U.S. Rep. Tim Scott has introduced legislation in Congress to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from closing down plants or ordering companies to transfer employment.

Scott’s measure comes in light of the NLRB suit against Boeing, which last month opened its $750 million assembly plant in North Charleston.

The NLRB complaint alleges the new plant was built in South Carolina so Boeing could avoid unionized labor in the Pacific Northwest.

The bill is being taken up by the House Education and Workforce Committee today in preparation for introduction to the floor for a vote. I’m not sure how many bites at the apple Congress is going to get on this issue, but I have to at least give them credit for tenacity.

There was a time when the NLRB did, on occasion, provide a valuable function by ensuring an equal playing field between workers and management. Sadly, those days seem to have entirely passed. The board now serves as a powerful, government funded strong arm supporting the interests of the unions, not the workers. (And before you protest that comment, no… the two are not the same any more.)

If Congress can’t manage to find a path to put some checks and balances on the NLRB which will withstand scrutiny in the courts, the types of situations we’re seeing with Boeing will continue to become slow rolling disasters which hinder or stop job growth. Not exactly the kind of policy we need right now.

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If Congress can’t manage to find a path to put some checks and balances on the NLRB which will withstand scrutiny in the courts, the types of situations we’re seeing with Boeing will continue to become slow rolling disasters which hinder or stop job growth. Not exactly the kind of policy we need right now.

to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from closing down plants or ordering companies to transfer employment

You mean this isn’t against the law already? The government has this discretionary power? What left wing gulag infested dictatorship am I living in? I’m smart enough to know that if you give someone power instead of responsibility they’re going to abuse it.

You mean this isn’t against the law already? The government has this discretionary power? What left wing gulag infested dictatorship am I living in? I’m smart enough to know that if you give someone power instead of responsibility they’re going to abuse it.

Tommy_G on July 21, 2011 at 5:34 PM

It’s the Obama Way, donchaknow?

BTW, has the NLRB ever done this under a Republican presidency? Just wondering.

There might be something redeemable in the Wagner Act, but we would better off repealing it.

Count to 10 on July 21, 2011 at 5:34 PM

No there isn’t. The Wagner Act basically authorizes the Federal Government to interfere with and regulate manufacturing. It brought about the rise of the thug unions – not unions who were just working toward safe workplaces & such but unions that demanded profits be redistributed among the workers. I don’t know the exact quote but Ford said if the Wagner Act had been in place when he started his business Ford would have been “a little shop that remained little” because he could not have reinvested the profits into growth. It was upheld by a supreme court under the threat of forced retirement and/or dilution by FDR.

The NLRB complaint alleges the new plant was built in South Carolina so Boeing could avoid unionized labor in the Pacific Northwest

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Last time I checked this was a free country, and Boeing can build their plants anywhere they want to.Of course with Obama and his band of Marxists in power, seems like that could be rapidly changing.

It seems to me that Uncle Sam has been overreaching in evermore obvious ways of late, and not bothering to justify it. Add this to everything else Cloward-Piven-ish that has been coming down the pike and you’ve got yourself a humdinger of a scenario.

No there isn’t. The Wagner Act basically authorizes the Federal Government to interfere with and regulate manufacturing. It brought about the rise of the thug unions – not unions who were just working toward safe workplaces & such but unions that demanded profits be redistributed among the workers. I don’t know the exact quote but Ford said if the Wagner Act had been in place when he started his business Ford would have been “a little shop that remained little” because he could not have reinvested the profits into growth. It was upheld by a supreme court under the threat of forced retirement and/or dilution by FDR.

The NLRB complaint alleges the new plant was built in South Carolina so Boeing could avoid unionized labor in the Pacific Northwest.

Anyone even THINKING about setting up an operation in a closed-shop state should think twice about it. Once you do so, you don’t dare ever do anything in a RTW state for fear the NLRB will stop you (after you’ve invested millions in land aquisition, designing and building the facility, installing equipment….)

Anyone even THINKING about setting up an operation in a closed-shop state should think twice about it. Once you do so, you don’t dare ever do anything in a RTW state for fear the NLRB will stop you (after you’ve invested millions in land aquisition, designing and building the facility, installing equipment….)

The Monster on July 21, 2011 at 7:22 PM

That’s the perverse consequences of what the stupid democratics have done here. They have made any expansion of a business now in a RTW state into a union state an extremely unwise move. It means the performance gap between the union states and RTW states will grow.

I’m smiling like a proud mama – I sent Tim Scott money when he was running!!! Way to go Tim! Seems like Congress is very busy, what the heck has the Senate been up to? Hey Congress Critters – How bout you just keep sending more of these bills to the Senate, at some point one of them is gonna pass!